Automated wipe dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for dispensing wipes is presented. The dispenser has a holder that has one or more wipes, an upper end and a lower end. The dispenser also has a top that has a center portion, a wipe opening, at least one sensor, a lamp and an opening top, wherein the top being coupled to the upper end of the holder. The wipe opening is hingedly coupled to the opening top. A motor is contained in the holder and communicatively coupled to a power source, a heating mechanism, the lamp and a wipe grip. The dispenser has a power switch for controlling the power to the motor. The wipe grip being communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, and when the at least one sensor senses an activity, the wipe grip being activated and actuating one of the one or more wipes being expelled from the dispenser.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to dispensers. More particularly, it relates toautomated dispensers.

BACKGROUND

A wet wipe, also known as a wet towel or a moist towelette, or a babywipe in specific circumstances, is a small moistened piece of paper orplastic cloth that often comes folded and individually wrapped forconvenience. Wet wipes are used for cleaning purposes like personalhygiene and household cleaning.

Water companies warn people not to flush wet wipes down toilets, astheft failure to break apart or dissolve in water can cause sewerblockages known as fatbergs. Even wipes labelled “flushable” can causeblockages because they are not biodegradable.

Dispenser allow for a person in need of a wet wipe, to access the wipein a clean manner. The dispenser can also be decorative and provide anaccent to the décor of an area. Currently dispenser require the personto manually obtain the wipe from the dispenser. For cleanliness and easeof use, it would be advantageous to have an automatic dispenser for thewipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrated view of an exemplary wipe dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in someembodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do notnecessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,”“having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictatesotherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.

“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,”“by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,”“in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,”“of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,”“preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,”“substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,”“to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptorsherein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree,unless context dictates otherwise.

Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments asillustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described inconnection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is nointent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On thecontrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications andequivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, orcombinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined,without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, a dispenser 100 for dispensing wipes is presented.The dispenser 100 is useful for quickly and cleanly dispensing wipes.The use of wipes is inherently unclean, as they are used when peopleneed to clean their face, clean a baby after defecation, etc. Thedispenser 100 allows for a person to not have physical contact with thedispenser 100 but instead the wipe to be dispensed automatically.

The dispenser 100 has a holder 110, a motor 120, a top 140, at least onesensor 150, a lamp 160, a power switch 170, a wipe opening 180, and oneor more wipes 190. The one or more wipes 190 are preferably wet but maybe dry. The one or more wipes 190 may be baby wipes, wet wipes, etc.

The holder 110 has an upper end 112 and a lower end 114. The holder 110is preferably a tub shape, but may be any other shape.

The top 140 of the dispenser 100 is coupled to the holder 110 of thedispenser at the upper end 112. The top 140 has the wipe opening 180 atsubstantially a center 142 of the top 140 of the dispenser 100.

The top 140 further has a lid 144, the lid 144 is hingedly coupled tothe top 140 of the dispenser 100 at the wipe opening 180. The lid 144can be in an open position as shown in FIG. 1 or may be in a closedcondition in which the lid 144 covers the wipe opening 180.

The motor 120 is contained inside of the holder 110. The motor 120 canbe any motor that can provide electrical current to a wipe grip 124 andto a heating mechanism 126. The wipe grip 124 is further communicativelycoupled to the at least one sensor 150. The at least one sensor 150 ispreferably a motion sensor, but may be other types of sensors. The atleast one sensor 150 senses an activity, then the at least one sensor150 sends a signal to the wipe grip 124 to expel the wipe 190.

The heating mechanism 126 may be any type of heating mechanism, like acoil, etc. The heating mechanism 126 provides a heat to the liquid inthe holder 110 which is associated with the wipe 190. The heatingmechanism 126 is provided electrical current by the motor 120. When theheating mechanism 126 has warmed the liquid in the holder 110, a lamp160 is lit to alert a user. The lamp 160 is preferably an LED lamp, butmay be LCD, etc.

The motor 120 has a power source 122. The power source 122 may be AC/DCplug, battery, solar, etc. Further, the power switch 170 may be a toggleswitch, a button switch, a touch screen, etc.

The power switch 170 controls the on and off condition of the motor 120.The power switch 170 is useful for controlling the energy and heatingnecessary at the dispenser 100.

In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects andembodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) accordingto respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” orother such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.)more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may eitheridentify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might becalled “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, inrespective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to whichthey refer or other features described above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specificexemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies arerepresentative of more general processes and/or devices and/ortechnologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filedherewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied toother embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features ofother embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1. A dispenser for dispensing wipes, consisting of: a holder, the holderhaving one or more wipes, an upper end and a lower end; a top, the tophaving a center portion, a wipe opening, at least one sensor, a lid anda lamp, wherein the top being coupled to the upper end of the holder;the lid being coupled to the top of the dispenser at the wipe opening; amotor, the motor being communicatively coupled to a power source, aheating mechanism, the lamp and a wipe grip; and a power switch, whereinthe power switch controlling the power to the motor; and the wipe gripbeing communicative coupled to the at least one sensor, wherein when theat least one sensor senses an activity, the at least one sensor sendinga signal to the wipe grip to expel the wipe.
 2. The dispenser of claim1, wherein the at least one sensor being a motion sensor.
 3. Thedispenser of claim 1, wherein the holder being tub shape.
 4. Thedispenser of claim 1, the power source being ac/dc.
 5. (canceled) 6.(canceled)
 7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the one or more wipesbeing a wet wipe.
 8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the one or morewipes being a baby wipe.
 9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the lampbeing an LED lamp.
 10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the lamp beingan LCD lamp.
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. The dispenser of claim 1,wherein the power switch being a button.